Hay-knife



No. 748,991. PATENTBD JAN. 5, 1904.

V W. S. SHIPPY.

HAY KNIFE.

APPLICATION FILED mu 6, 1903.

no KonnL.

WITNESSES: INVENTOI? UNITED STATES Patented January 5, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

HAY-KNIFE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 748,991, dated January 5, 1904.

Application filed May 6 1903. Serial No. 155,862. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LWINFIELD SooTT SHIPPY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Bayfield, in the county of La Plata and State of Colorado, have invented a new and Improved Hay-Knife, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The purpose of the invention is to provide a simple, durable, and effective hay-knife capable of being used by the hand or foot, or by both, and to so construct the body that it will have a longitudinal edge continuously sharp from the point to the heel, which cutting edge is in the form of a series of lance-teeth having the same uniform inclination from the heel of the body in direction of the point, the cutting being done between the heel of one tooth and the point of the next tooth, all of the teeth being beveled at both sides the length of a tooth, and as the heel of one tooth connects with the point of the next upper tooth the cutting edge of the body is provided with a continuous bevel at both sides, the inclination of the bevel-surfaces being in opposite directions, forming an exceedingly fine knife-edge as a cutting edge.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved hay-knife. Fig. 2is a longitudinal edge view thereof. Fig. 8 is an enlarged side elevation of a portion of the body of the knife, and Fig. 4. is a transverse section taken practically on the line 4. 4 of Fig. 3.

A represents the body of the knife, which is in the form of a blade provided with a heel 10 at its upper end and with a point 11 at its lower end. One longitudinal edge a is the back edge of the said knife or blade body, while the opposite edge a is the-cutting edge for the said body.

At the upper end or heel portion 10 of the knife or blade body A a shank 12 is formed, preferably integral with the said body, and from this shank at one side an outwardly-extending horizontal foot rest 13 is located.

This foot-rest 13 is preferably'struck out from the shank 12, leaving a longitudinal opening 14 therein, as is shown in Fig. 1. Two handles 15 and 16 extend in diverging directions from-the upper portion of the shank 12, one handle, 15, for example, extending in direction of what may be termed the back of the knife or blade body, while the other handle, 16, which is preferably longer than the handle 15, extends in direction of the cutting edge of the said knife or blade body, as is also shown in Fig. 1. Thus the space between the handles 15 and 16 is practically a V-shaped space. A grip-bar 17 extends at right angles outwardly from the upper end of the shorter handle 15 in the same direction as the footrest 13, and a grip-bar 18 is located at the upper end of the longer handle 16, but is at the extremity of a crank-arm 18*, extending at right angles from the handle 16 in the same direction as the foot-rest 13 and the grip-bar 17. This grip-bar 18 is not only at right angles to the crank-arm 18*, but is likewise at right angles to the opposing grip bar 17. When the grip-bars are viewed from the back edge of the knife, the grip-bar 18 is at right angles to thefoot-rest l3 and at right angles to and above the grip-bar l7.

The cutting edge a of the knife or blade body consists of a series of lance-teeth 19, which extend, one closely following the other, from the heel to the point of the said body A, each tooth having practically the same downward inclination or inclination from the heel portion of the body in direction of the point of the same, and the heel portion 21 of one lance-tooth extends slightly back of and connects with the point 20 of the next lancetooth above it, as is shown in Figs. 1 and 3. These lance-teeth 19 are beveled'at each side their full length, the two beveled surfaces b and b, as is shown in Fig. 4, being in opposite directions, so that the cutting edge is substantially V-shaped, as shown in Fig. 4., and an exceedingly fine cutting edge is obtained which is continuous from the heel portion 10 of the body to its point 11. As stated, the cutting is done between the heel of one tooth and the point of the next tooth, and as these teeth are perfect lance-teeth and are exceedingly sharp the cutting operation is quickly and effectively accomplished.

The main feature of the construction of the knife is that it needs to be raised only about six inches to feed and cut the whole length of the knife, while knives of similar character must be raised nearly, if not wholly, their entire length to cut and feed properly.

It is evident that the knife can be operated by the foot or by the hands or that both the hands and the feet of the operator may be employed in the operation of the knife, if so desired.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire, to secure by Letters Patent- A hay-knife consisting of a blade-body having a point at one end and provided at one longitudinal edge with a continuous chain of lance-teeth inclined downwardly in direction of the point, the heel of one tooth extending back of the point of the tooth above it, the said teeth being beveled on both sides of their cutting edges their full length, a shank connected with the blade-body, a foot-rest extending from the shank, handles carried in diverging directions from the upper portions of the shank, and grip-bars located at the upper ends of the said handles, one grip-bar being at right angles to the other and above the other, the lower grip-bar extending in the same direction as the foot-rest, as specified. 30

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WINFIELD SCOTT SHIPPY.

Witnesses: v

V. L. COULSON, ALFRED PATTERSON. 

